Means for transferring a gun from its carriage to a gun-carrying vehicle.



' 0. P. E. SCHNEIDER & B, RI'MAILHO.

MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING A GUN-PROM ITS CARRIAGE TO A GUN CARRYING VEHICLE. A

APPLICATION IfLED AUG. 17. 1906.

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, PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

UNITED STATES 1 PATENT oEEroE.

CHARLES PROSPER' EUGENE SCHNEIDER, LE OREUSOT, AND EMILE RIMAILHO, OF NEUILL'Y-SUR-SEINE, FRANCE.

MEANS FOR TRANSFERRING A GUN FROM ITS CARRIAGE TO A GUN-CARRYING VEHICLE.

- Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed August 1'7, 1906. Serial No. 331,040.

Patented April 2, 1907.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that we, OHAELEs PRosrEE EUGENE SCHNEIDER aIId'EMILE RIMAILHO, residing, respectively, at Le Creusot, Saneet-Loire, France, and at 54 Boulevard Maillot Neuilly-sur-Seine, Seine, France, have invented a new and useful Means for Transferrin a Gun from its Carriage to a Gun- Carrylng Vehicle, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

The present invention has for its object means for transferring a gun from its carriage to a gun-carrying vehicle.

The operation consists in entirely removing the gun-carrying vehicle fromits points of support upon the ground and trasferring these points of support onto the gun-carriage, selecting'them in such a manner that it is possible to vary the inclination and the direction of the gun-carrying vehicle so as to bring it into the desired positionfor the translation of the gun by means of a simple and rapid operation.

The means for the application of this method may comprise various constructional forms. A very simple form consists in principle in providing the gun-carriage with two stops or. bearing-surfaces the axis of which is parallel with the wheel-axle, the gun-carrying vehicle being provided with two parts for engagement with these stops. In this manner two fixed points of connection between the two vehicles are obtained. In one or other of these vehicles there islikewise provided a' lifting member supported by means of an appropriate foot or head in a trough formed in the other vehicle in such a manner that the lifting of the gun-carrying vehicle will cause it automatically to assume the proper position for appropriate engagement with the stops on the gun-carriage.

A constructional form of this device is represented by way .of example in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a general perspective view with one of the wheels of the gun-carrying vehicle removed. Fig. 2 is a corresponding partial plan view. Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line A A of Fig. 1.

a is the gun-carriage, carried by the wheelaxle b. Upon this carriage the slideway d e is firmly fixed at c. When the wheel is at :0 and the trail at y, the direction (1 e of the slideway, Fig. 2, has a well-defined position relatively to the gun-carriage as a whole and to the ground-line a; y. The two fixed points of support for the gun-carrying vehicle upon the gun-carriage are constituted by the ex ity 7v, Fig. 3.

The gun-carrying vehicle is fornied by a slideway 1 2, Fig. 1, mounted upon a wheel axle 3; For itsengagement with the points of support f the gun-carrying vehicle is provided in front with two noses 1, separated by the distance between the cheeks of the guncarriage at a level with the rods f. It likewise carries pendent beneath the rear in the form of a prop a screw-jack 5, completing the'support furnished by the gun-carriage.

If the two-wheeled gun-carrying vehicle thus constituted is brought above the trail of the gun-carriage, the dimensions are such that the noses 4 strike against the rods f at the moment at which the screw-jack is exactly above the trail h.

The device permits of bringing'the slideway 1 2 exactly in line with the slideway d e, and this automatically. culties in connection with the alinement of the slideways 1 2 with the slideways d 6 will generally arise from the ground, as the wheel axle b may be inclined in one direction and the wheel-axle 3 in the other, the vehicle 1 2 not necessarily being in line with the axis of the gun-carrying vehicle d c h. In order to compensate forthis, it is only necessary to raise the vehicle 1 2 in such a manner that it leaves the ground entirely and becomes one with the vehicle (1 c h. It is in this position that it is represented, the wheels having left the ground. To this end the screw-jack 5 is operated by a handle i, mounted upon a shaft 7c, carried by the gun-carrying vehicle. Upon this shaft there is keyed a pinion m, which by means of a chain it and a wheel p transmits its movement to a shaft 0 and to the bevel gear-wheel g, Fig. 3. This latter meshes with a pinion-nut 1", in which the screw-threaded rod 5 of the screw-jack is screwed, the free end of this rod 5 being preferably of conical shape. When the handle c' is turned, the screw-jack which in the first place bears with its free end at any appropri ate point in the trough h of the trail lengthens and tends to lift the rear of the gun-carrying vehicle, while the noses 4 have a tend- The principal diffirro cncy' to bear upon the lateral rods As soon, however, as the jack extends so as to lift the gun-carrying vehicle all the weight is carried by this jack. Its end 8 slides along the walls of the trough h and falls to the bottom of the latter. Owing-to its construction, this bottom is in the median plane of the guncarriage, and the screw-jack being in. the median plane of the gun-carrying vehicle the axis of the latter of itself comes exactly in line with the axis of the former.

While the jack continues to lengthen the gun-carrying vehicle rises, its wheels leave the ground, the noses 4 rest upon the rods f, and the wheel-axle 3 therefore of itself assumes a position. parallel with the wheel-axlc b, which is parallel with the rods f. The vehicle 1 2 is then connected to the gun-carriage at three points, (two atf and one at It).

It has been seen that the line cl 6 has an invariable position relatively to the gun-carriage. When the jack extends, the tail of the gun-carrying vehicle 1 2 rises, and the line 1 2 tends to come in line with d 0. hen this alinement has taken place, the screwjack will have a certain length, which is always the same, since it depends only upon the position of the fixed points d 0 h. The total travel or stroke of the screw-jack is regulated once for all in such a manner that it corresponds to this fixed length. It will therefore be seen that the operation is quite simple and rapid. It consists in thrusting the gun-carrying vehicle 1 2 toward the guncarriage until the noses 4 come into contact with the rods f (the retaining-hooks t facilitating an approximate engagement) and in then turning the handle of the screw-jack until the latter reaches the end of its stroke. At this moment the two slideways will have assumed a position exactly in line with each other. Upon the side of the gun-carrying vehicle there is fixed a cl1ainwinch 7 8 9. If the chain 7 is fixed to the muzzle of the gun, the operation of the winch will cause the gun to be brought onto the gun-carrying vehicle. At a certain moment a stop on the gun falls into a notch in the gun-carrying vehicle, and then the center of gravity of the system is uaon the axle of the gun-carrying vehicle. The screw-jack is lowered by turning its handle, the wheels of the gun-carrying vehicle again come into contact with the ground, the said vehicle is drawn backward, and may then be harnessed as a two-wheeled vehicle. If it is placed upon a fore-carriage, in order to distribute the weight well the winch is acted upon for the purpose of moving the gun by an ap )ropriate amount toward the trail channe of the gun-carrying vehicle. The breech then lodges in a breech-cover carried by the vehicle and fixed vertically at 2. F or the reverse operation one of the noses 4 is surmounted. by a roller 6. The winch-chain. coming from behind is reversed by this roller and fixed to the breech of the gun. When. this has been effected, the actuation of the winch will cause the gun to be moved forward from the gun-carrying vehicle to the gun-carriage.

For moving the gun-carrying vehicle toward. the gun-carriage the chain 7 may, if desired, be engaged with the rod f, so that the operation of the winch would then cause the vehicle to advance.

It is obvious that the gun-carriage when no longer carrying its gun may be harnessed as a two-wheeled vehicle or attached to a forecarriage.

In the constructional form represented the screw-jack 5 is displaceable in a nut carried by the gun-carrying vehicle, and the trough. in which the free end descends is formed in the trail of the gun-carriage. It is, however, obvious that the reverse arrangement might be employedthat is to say, the said trough might be arranged beneath the gun-carrying vehicle and the screwjack 5 be caused to move in. a nut on the trail.

What we claim, and desire to secure ters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In combination, a service-carriage and a transportcarriage one of said carriages being provided. with spindles projecting from the checks of the carriage and parallel to the axle of the carriage, and the other carriage having hinge locking parts engaging said spindles when the carriages are in gun-trans for position, saidv locking parts being capable of a play transverse to said spindles, and a lifting and self-adjusting alining device reacting against the service-carriage to lift the transport-carriage from its ground-support into gun-transfer position on the service-car riage.

2. In combination, a gun-carriage having a trail provided with a guide depression therein, and a gun-carrying vehicle, spindles projecting from the checks of the said carriage and in a line parallel with the axle of the gun-carriage, locking parts on the guncarrying vehicle having supporting-noses and retaining-hooks for engaging said spindles, and alifting-screwsecured to said vehicle and having its free end guided in said guide depression for raising said vehicle oil its groundsupport and for alining the same into guntransfer position.

3. In combination, a g un-carriage and a gun-carrying vehicle being provided with slideways or tracks, hinge connecting-supports connecting said carriage and vehicle when in gun-transfer position, the movable members of said sup )orts being capable of a play transverse to t is hinge-axis, and selfby Letadjusting vehicle-lifting means for lifting said gun-carrying vehicle from its groundsupport to said hinge-supports to ahne said ways or tracks.

4. In combinatlon, a servlce-can'iage and TIC a gun-transfer carriage, hinge-couplings for In testimony whereof We have signed this connecting the rear of the st-nanied oarspecification in the presence of tWo subscri [O riage with the forward part of the second caring Witnesses.

riage, and a lifting and. self-adjusting alining CHARLES PROSPER EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

device reacting against the service-carriage EMILE RIMAILHO.

to lift the transport-carriage from its ground- Witnesses:

support into gun-transfer position on the EUGENE E. MAssIE,

service-carriage. l OIOERO GALLEN. 

